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Atta sexdens is a species of leafcutter ant belonging to the the tribe attini. They are native to the New World, ranging from the USA state of Texas in the North to Southern Argentina in the South. They cut leaves to provide a substrate for the fungus farms, which are their principal source of food. Their societies are among the most complex found in social insects. A. sexdens is an ecologically important species, but also an agricultural pest. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1142x937, 247 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Scientific classification or biological classification is how biologists group and categorize extinct and living species of organisms. ...
Phyla Porifera (sponges) Ctenophora (comb jellies) Cnidaria Placozoa Subregnum Bilateria Acoelomorpha Orthonectida Rhombozoa Myxozoa Superphylum Deuterostomia Chordata (vertebrates, etc. ...
Subphyla and Classes Subphylum Trilobitomorpha Trilobita - Trilobites (extinct) Subphylum Chelicerata Arachnida - Spiders, Scorpions, etc. ...
Classes & Orders Subclass: Apterygota Orders Archaeognatha (Bristletails) Thysanura (Silverfish) Monura - extinct Subclass: Pterygota Orders Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Diaphanopteroidea - extinct Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Infraclass: Neoptera Orders Blattodea (cockroaches) Isoptera (termites) Mantodea (mantids) Dermaptera (earwigs) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, etc) Phasmatodea (walking sticks) Embioptera (webspinners) Zoraptera...
Suborders Apocrita Symphyta Many families, see article Hymenoptera is one of the larger orders of Insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. ...
Subfamilies Dorylomorph subfamilies: Aenictinae Aenictogitoninae Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicomorph subfamilies: Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ...
Species Many This article is about the genus of New World ants. ...
In biology, binomial nomenclature is a standard convention used for naming species. ...
Carolus Linnaeus ~Carl Linnaeus~, also known after his ennoblement as Carl von Linné ( listen?), and in English usually under the Latinized name Carolus Linnaeus (May 23, 1707 – January 10, 1778), was a Swedish botanist who laid the foundations for the modern scheme of taxonomy. ...
In biology, a species is, loosely speaking, a group of related organisms that share a more or less distinctive form and are capable of interbreeding. ...
Genera Acromyrmex Atta Leafcutter ants are social insects found in warmer regions of Central and South America. ...
Genera Many The Fungus-growing ants (tribe Attini) is comprised of all the known fungus_growing ant species in the world. ...
Carte dAmérique, Guillaume Delisle, c. ...
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Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Yellow fungus For the fictional character, see Fungus the Bogeyman. ...
Eusociality is the phenomenon of reproductive specialisation found in some species of animal, whereby a specialised caste carries out reproduction in a colony of non-reproductive animals. ...
Description
Colony architecture A. sexdens colonies are primarily subterranean with a mound of excavated material on the surface. The diameter of the colony may reach 10 meters with a depth of 6 meters. The colonies contain up to 2000 chambers with a combined volume of more than 20 cubic meters. There are two basic types of chambers: Fungus farms and waste chambers. The farms contain the fungal culture which sustains the colony and also larvae and pupae. The waste chambers are located at the rim of the colony and are significantly larger. They are used to dispose used fungal culture and dead ants. A mature colony contains 5-8 million workers. Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Yellow fungus For the fictional character, see Fungus the Bogeyman. ...
A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ...
Chrysalis of Gulf Fritillary in Georgetown, South Carolina Pupation of Aglais urticae A pupa (plural: pupae or pupas) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. ...
The colony often forms the centerpiece of a large jungle clearing. At the top of the mound there are structures resembling sand castles surrounding hundreds of openings to the colony. Positioning the openings on top of these structures minimises the amount of rainwater flowing into the colony. The openings also have an important role in air conditioning. As the ant activity and fungal metabolism heat up the colony, hot air rises through the central passageways. Simultaneously fresh air is drawn in from the openings at the rim of the colony. Note: in the broadest sense, air conditioning can refer to any form of heating, ventilation, and air-conditioning. ...
Subfamilies Dorylomorph subfamilies: Aenictinae Aenictogitoninae Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicomorph subfamilies: Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ...
Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Yellow fungus For the fictional character, see Fungus the Bogeyman. ...
Santorio Santorio (1561-1636) in his steelyard balance, from Ars de statica medecina, first published 1614 Metabolism (from μεταβολισμος (metabolismos), the Greek word for change, or overthrow (Etymonline)), is the biochemical modification of chemical compounds in living organisms and cells. ...
Air is a name for the mixture of gases present in the Earths atmosphere. ...
Anatomy A. sexdens follows the basic body plan of ants fairly closely. They have sharp spikes or hooks rising from their heads and mid sections used to deter predators. Another distinguishing feature is a relative large, two-lobed head. Its purpose is to accommodate the large muscles moving the well-developed mandibles. Subfamilies Dorylomorph subfamilies: Aenictinae Aenictogitoninae Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicomorph subfamilies: Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ...
This snapping turtle is trying to make a meal of a Canada goose, but the goose is too wary. ...
A top-down view of skeletal muscle Muscle is a contractile form of tissue. ...
This article is about the human bone. ...
In addition to the queen the colony contains four castes of sterile female workers: Sterility is the quality or state of being unable to reproduce. ...
Female symbol Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces egg cells. ...
Soldiers are the largest caste with a head width of 3 mm and well-developed sharp mandibles. They do not participate in the running of the colony but are completely dedicated to defence. In an event of an attack by a predator the soldiers storm out of the nest and attempt to overpower the aggressor. Their bite can easily penetrate human skin. The soldier caste is expensive to maintain and they are absent from young colonies with less than 100 000 workers. This article is about the human bone. ...
This snapping turtle is trying to make a meal of a Canada goose, but the goose is too wary. ...
Binomial name Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Homo sapiens idaltu (extinct) Homo sapiens sapiens Human beings define themselves in biological, social, and spiritual terms. ...
Model of the layers of human skin In zootomy and dermatology, skin is an organ of the integumentary system; which is composed of a layer of tissues that protect underlying muscles and organs. ...
Forager-excavators are the second largest caste with an average head width of 2,2 mm. They are responsible for venturing out to cut pieces of leaves and carrying them back to the colony to feed the fungus. They also excavate new chambers to the colony. Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Yellow fungus For the fictional character, see Fungus the Bogeyman. ...
Within-nest specialists have an average head with of 1,4 mm. They usually remain inside the colony where they process the leaf material brought in by the foragers to a smaller form. They also dispose waste, help the gardener-nurse caste to take care of larger larvae and attend to the queen. A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ...
Gardener-nurses have an average head width of 1 mm. They are the smallest caste, being several hundred times smaller in mass than the larger and more robust soldiers. Their tasks are to attend to the fungal culture and to the developing eggs, larvae and pupae. Look up Egg in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Egg has multiple meanings: The term is used synonymously with ovum, the female sex cell in animals and plants. ...
A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ...
Chrysalis of Gulf Fritillary Georgetown, South Carolina A pupa (plural: pupae or pupas) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. ...
The queen is the largest ant in the colony, outweighing the smaller worker by a factor of 700. It is also the only member of the colony capable of reproducing. The queens have a life span of 10-20 years.
There is considerable variation in size within the castes, some of which may be related to the division of labour. Some researches separate seven castes, while others dismiss the idea of caste altogether. The division of labour also depends on the age of the worker. Foraging expeditions are hazardous and therefore handled by oldest, and thus most expendable, members of the caste.
Development A. sexdens like all ants have four stages of development: egg, larva, pupa, and adult. They are, like all hymenopterans, haplo-diploid, meaning males are haploid (one of each chromosome) and females, including workers, are diploid (a pair of each chromosome). Sex is determined by the type of egg is laid. Unfertilized eggs will turn out to be males, which are strictly used for mating and are short-lived. Fertilized eggs produce females. The caste of the resulting adult depends on environmental cues. Subfamilies Dorylomorph subfamilies: Aenictinae Aenictogitoninae Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicomorph subfamilies: Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ...
Look up Egg in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Egg has multiple meanings: The term is used synonymously with ovum, the female sex cell in animals and plants. ...
A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ...
Chrysalis of Gulf Fritillary in Georgetown, South Carolina Pupation of Aglais urticae A pupa (plural: pupae or pupas) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. ...
Suborders Apocrita Symphyta Many families, see article Hymenoptera is one of the larger orders of Insects, comprising the sawflies, wasps, bees, and ants. ...
Male symbol Male is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces sperm. ...
Haploid (meaning simple in Greek) cells have only one copy of each chromosome. ...
Figure 1: Chromosome. ...
Female is a sex that denotes an animal which produces egg cells in order to reproduce. ...
Diploid (meaning double in Greek) cells have two copies (homologs) of each chromosome (both sex- and non-sex determining chromosomes), usually one from the mother and one from the father. ...
Figure 1: Chromosome. ...
Look up Egg in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Egg has multiple meanings: The term is used synonymously with ovum, the female sex cell in animals and plants. ...
Look up Egg in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Egg has multiple meanings: The term is used synonymously with ovum, the female sex cell in animals and plants. ...
The word male has the following meanings: In biology, it refers to one half of a heterogamous reproduction system, where the female is the other half. ...
Look up Egg in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Egg has multiple meanings: The term is used synonymously with ovum, the female sex cell in animals and plants. ...
Female symbol Female is the sex of an organism, or a part of an organism, which produces egg cells. ...
Three to four weeks after being laid, the egg hatches and a larva emerges. In Atta ants, the larvae are fed by secretions from gardener-nurse ants and trophic eggs (unfertilized eggs that are used as food). The larvae, after an additional 3-4 weeks, spin cocoons around themselves and pupate. After 3-4 more weeks, the pupae hatch into adult workers. A week is a unit of time longer than a day and shorter than a month. ...
Look up Egg in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Egg has multiple meanings: The term is used synonymously with ovum, the female sex cell in animals and plants. ...
A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ...
Species Many This article is about the genus of New World ants. ...
Subfamilies Dorylomorph subfamilies: Aenictinae Aenictogitoninae Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicomorph subfamilies: Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ...
A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ...
Trophic egg is an egg which is not laid for reproduction but for nutrition, often for offspring hatched from regular eggs. ...
Look up Egg in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Egg has multiple meanings: The term is used synonymously with ovum, the female sex cell in animals and plants. ...
Larvae are the plural of larva, juvenile form of animals with indirect development. ...
A week is a unit of time longer than a day and shorter than a month. ...
Cocoon has a number of meanings. ...
A week is a unit of time longer than a day and shorter than a month. ...
Chrysalis of Gulf Fritillary in Georgetown, South Carolina Pupation of Aglais urticae A pupa (plural: pupae or pupas) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. ...
A. sexdend larvae grow embedded in the fungal garden. Despite being surrounded by food, they are incapable of feeding themselves. Their adult sisters constantly feed and clean them. This is not a primitive feature. On the contrary only the most advanced ant societies can expend such lavish care to their offspring as required by Atta larvae. A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ...
Subfamilies Dorylomorph subfamilies: Aenictinae Aenictogitoninae Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicomorph subfamilies: Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ...
Species Many This article is about the genus of New World ants. ...
A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ...
All eggs are identical when laid. The caste of the resulting worker is determined by the conditions, which are in turn regulated by adult workers. The most important factor is the quantity of food. The largest amount of food results in virgin queens while slightly less food creates soldiers. A shortage of one caste causes the workers to produce more ants of that caste. A drastic reduction in the work force may cause the colony to revert into caste structure of a younger colony, which does not have soldiers. Look up Egg in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Egg has multiple meanings: The term is used synonymously with ovum, the female sex cell in animals and plants. ...
Subfamilies Dorylomorph subfamilies: Aenictinae Aenictogitoninae Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicomorph subfamilies: Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ...
Behavior
Foraging
 A. sexdens worker carrying a piece of a leaf. Notice smaller workers riding of the leaf. The A. sexdens workers forage leaves up to range of 60 meters from the colony. The scouting workers leave behind a trail of pheromones after they discover a source of suitable plant material. Other workers follow this trail to the leaves. They cut the plant material to pieces suitable for an individual ant to carry back to the colony. Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1144x729, 222 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Image File history File links Download high resolution version (1144x729, 222 KB) File history Legend: (cur) = this is the current file, (del) = delete this old version, (rev) = revert to this old version. ...
Fanning honeybee exposes Nasonov gland (white-at tip of abdomen) releasing pheromone to entice swarm into an empty hive A pheromone is any chemical produced by a living organism that transmits a message to other members of the same species. ...
Smaller workers sometimes ride on the leave pieces while the foragers carry them. Their purpose is not known for certain, but the purpose may be to protect the exposed foragers from attacks by parasitic insects. These insects include phorid flies of the family Phoridae. They lay their eggs on foragers. The resulting larvae eat the ant alive. Orders Subclass Apterygota Symphypleona - globular springtails Subclass Archaeognatha (jumping bristletails) Subclass Dicondylia Monura - extinct Thysanura (common bristletails) Subclass Pterygota Diaphanopteroidea - extinct Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Blattodea (cockroaches) Mantodea (mantids) Isoptera (termites) Zoraptera Grylloblattodea Dermaptera (earwigs) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets...
Orders Subclass Apterygota Symphypleona - globular springtails Subclass Archaeognatha (jumping bristletails) Subclass Dicondylia Monura - extinct Thysanura (common bristletails) Subclass Pterygota Diaphanopteroidea - extinct Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Infraclass Neoptera Blattodea (cockroaches) Mantodea (mantids) Isoptera (termites) Zoraptera Grylloblattodea Dermaptera (earwigs) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets...
Genera and Species Approximately 230 genera and 3000 species A phorid fly is a small, hump-backed fly of the highly diverse family Phoridae, and resembling a fruit fly in appearance. ...
Look up Egg in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Egg has multiple meanings: The term is used synonymously with ovum, the female sex cell in animals and plants. ...
A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ...
Subfamilies Dorylomorph subfamilies: Aenictinae Aenictogitoninae Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicomorph subfamilies: Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ...
Fungus cultivation A. sexdens, like all leaf cutter ants, are mycophagic (fungus-eaters). They live in a symbiotic relationship with a fungus belonging to the subphylum Basidiomycotina. Leaves and other soft plant material brought into the nest by the foragers is chewed into a pulp and fertilized with faeces. A small piece of fungus is placed on this substrate. The gardener-nurse caste takes care of the cultivation, transplanting fungus onto fresh substrate and weeding out wrong species of fungus, such as a parasitic Escovopsis, which sometimes can contaminate nests. They also use secretions from their salivary glands and help from antibiotic-producing Streptomyces bacteria to keep their fungal gardens a strict monoculture. In biology, a subphylum is a taxonomic grade intermediate between phylum and superclass. ...
Fertilizers or fertilisers are compounds given to plants with the intention of promoting growth; they are usually applied either via the soil, for uptake by plant roots, or by foliar spraying, for uptake through leaves. ...
Rabbit feces are usually 0. ...
Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Yellow fungus For the fictional character, see Fungus the Bogeyman. ...
Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Yellow fungus For the fictional character, see Fungus the Bogeyman. ...
The salivary glands produce saliva, which keeps the mouth and other parts of the digestive system moist. ...
An antibiotic is a drug that kills or slows the growth of bacteria. ...
Streptomyces is a genus of Actinobacteria. ...
Phyla/Divisions Actinobacteria Aquificae Bacteroidetes/Chlorobi Chlamydiae/Verrucomicrobia Chloroflexi Chrysiogenetes Cyanobacteria Deferribacteres Deinococcus-Thermus Dictyoglomi Fibrobacteres/Acidobacteria Firmicutes Fusobacteria Gemmatimonadetes Nitrospirae Omnibacteria Planctomycetes Proteobacteria Spirochaetes Thermodesulfobacteria Thermomicrobia Thermotogae Bacteria (singular, bacterium) are a major group of living organisms. ...
Monoculture describes systems that have very low diversity. ...
The gardener-nurses also cut pieces of mycelium for the other castes to eat. In addition to the fungus, the A. sexdens feed on plant sap. They are the only source of nutrition for the ants, apart from the trophic eggs laid by the queen when the colony is young. Mycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching threadlike hyphae that exists below the ground or within another substrate. ...
Divisions Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Hepatophyta - liverworts Anthocerophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum (a fern...
Sap is: Look up sap in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...
Trophic egg is an egg which is not laid for reproduction but for nutrition, often for offspring hatched from regular eggs. ...
The identity of the fungus remains a mystery. It is known that they are a species of the basidiomycete family lepiotaceae. Some researchers believe that all gardening ants cultivate just one species, Leucocoprinus gongylophorus. The fungus produces special structures, called gongylidia, which are specifically meant to be eaten by ants. Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Yellow fungus For the fictional character, see Fungus the Bogeyman. ...
In biology, a species is, loosely speaking, a group of related organisms that share a more or less distinctive form and are capable of interbreeding. ...
Classes Subdivision Teliomycotina Urediniomycetes Subdivision Ustilaginomycotina Ustilaginomycetes Subdivision Hymenomycotina Homobasidiomycetes - mushrooms The Division Basidiomycota is a large taxon within the Kingdom Fungi that includes those species that produce spores in a club_shaped structure called a basidium. ...
Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Yellow fungus For the fictional character, see Fungus the Bogeyman. ...
Subfamilies Dorylomorph subfamilies: Aenictinae Aenictogitoninae Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicomorph subfamilies: Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ...
Cleaning A. sexdens workers spend a considerable time cleaning each other and the queen. They also spread antibiotic secretions from their metapleural glands on their bodies. Dirt collected by licking is stored up in workers infrabuccal cavities, which are special recesses in their mouths. The purpose of these activities is to avoid infections, especially by parasitic fungi. Several fungus species, such as the Cordyceps fungi, specially infect and kill ants. An antibiotic is a drug that kills or slows the growth of bacteria. ...
Metapleural glands (also called metasternal or metathoracic glands) occur only in ants. ...
A parasite is an organism that lives in or on the living tissue of a host organism at the expense of that host. ...
Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Yellow fungus For the fictional character, see Fungus the Bogeyman. ...
Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Yellow fungus For the fictional character, see Fungus the Bogeyman. ...
In biology, a species is, loosely speaking, a group of related organisms that share a more or less distinctive form and are capable of interbreeding. ...
Cordyceps is a genus of ascomycete fungi, the most famous of which is the vegetable caterpillar — Cordyceps sinensis. ...
Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Yellow fungus For the fictional character, see Fungus the Bogeyman. ...
Subfamilies Dorylomorph subfamilies: Aenictinae Aenictogitoninae Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicomorph subfamilies: Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ...
All waste in the nest, including infrabuccal pellets, spent substrate from the gardens and dead ants are carried in the waste chambers in order to avoid contamination. Faeces, however, is not carried away but used to fertilise the fungal gardens. The waste chambers are larger than human head and located at the rim of the colony. There the waste can decompose without endangering the ants. Due to the high concentration of various nutrients in the decomposing waste, a thick net of plant roots usually permeates the compost. Subfamilies Dorylomorph subfamilies: Aenictinae Aenictogitoninae Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicomorph subfamilies: Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ...
Rabbit feces are usually 0. ...
Binomial name Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Homo sapiens idaltu (extinct) Homo sapiens sapiens Human beings define themselves in biological, social, and spiritual terms. ...
Subfamilies Dorylomorph subfamilies: Aenictinae Aenictogitoninae Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicomorph subfamilies: Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ...
Nutrients and the body A nutrient is any element or compound necessary for or contributing to an organisms metabolism, growth, or other functioning. ...
Divisions Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Hepatophyta - liverworts Anthocerophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum (a fern...
Primary and secondary roots in a cotton plant In vascular plants, the root is that organ of a plant body that typically lies below the surface of the soil (compare with stem). ...
Compost is the decomposed remnants of organic materials (those with plant and animal origins). ...
Reproduction
 A. sexdens queen with a fungus garden From the end of October to middle of December the A. sexdens colonies produce winged virgin queens and males. Before the nuptial flight young queens visit the colony's fungal gardens and place a small piece of fungal mycelium in their infrabuccal cavities. During their nuptial flight the queens mate with several males, which die shortly after. The queen retains the sperm in a special organ for the rest of its life. Image File history File links AttaSexdensQueen. ...
Image File history File links AttaSexdensQueen. ...
October is the tenth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ...
December is the twelfth and last month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ...
Mycelium is the vegetative part of a fungus consisting of a mass of branching threadlike hyphae that exists below the ground or within another substrate. ...
Sperm is an exocrine secretion of male animal gonads that contains spermatozoa. ...
The mated queen lands on the ground and tears off its now redundant wings. Then it digs a vertical tunnel to a depth of approximately 30 centimeters. At the end of the tunnel it excavates a small chamber. The queen then starts a fungal garden using the piece brought from its birth colony. Usually the garden is fertilized only with faeces, but sometimes it is necessary for the queen to forage a small quantity of plant material. The queen also lays a few eggs. A Laughing Gull on the beach in Atlantic City. ...
cm redirects here, alternate uses: cm (disambiguation) A centimetre (symbol cm; American spelling: centimeter) is an SI unit of length. ...
Rabbit feces are usually 0. ...
Divisions Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Hepatophyta - liverworts Anthocerophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum (a fern...
Look up Egg in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Egg has multiple meanings: The term is used synonymously with ovum, the female sex cell in animals and plants. ...
The queen then tends to the fungal garden and the developing larvae and pupae, feeding them fungus and trophic eggs. The queen itself eats nothing during this period, sustaining herself on fat deposits and shrinking flight muscles. After the first brood of workers is ready, they take over the running of the fledgling colony and the queen becomes strictly an egg-laying machine. This process takes 40-60 days. A larva (Latin; plural larvae) is a juvenile form of animal with indirect development, undergoing metamorphosis (for example, insects or amphibians). ...
Chrysalis of Gulf Fritillary in Georgetown, South Carolina Pupation of Aglais urticae A pupa (plural: pupae or pupas) is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation. ...
Divisions Chytridiomycota Zygomycota Glomeromycota Ascomycota Basidiomycota Yellow fungus For the fictional character, see Fungus the Bogeyman. ...
Trophic egg is an egg which is not laid for reproduction but for nutrition, often for offspring hatched from regular eggs. ...
A top-down view of skeletal muscle Muscle is a contractile form of tissue. ...
Look up Egg in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Egg has multiple meanings: The term is used synonymously with ovum, the female sex cell in animals and plants. ...
At first the colony grows slowly, but after 2-3 years the growth becomes faster and faster. One possible reason for this is that before the colony is established enough to sustain any large soldier-caste workers, it is useful to remain unnoticed. Soldiers usually appear when the colony has a population of about 100 000. A mature colony of several million workers faces only a few dangers. If spared from floods and human activity the colony is usually destroyed when the queen dies of old age, giving a successful colony a life span of 10-15 years. In that time the colony will send out numerous males and virgin queens to found new colonies. A year is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. ...
Look up Flood on Wiktionary, the free dictionary A flood (in Old English flod, a word common to Teutonic languages; compare German Flut, Dutch vloed from the same root as is seen in flow, float) is an overflow of water, an expanse of water submerging land, a deluge. ...
Binomial name Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Homo sapiens idaltu (extinct) Homo sapiens sapiens Human beings define themselves in biological, social, and spiritual terms. ...
A year is the time between two recurrences of an event related to the orbit of the Earth around the Sun. ...
Significance
Ecological impact At the end of its life span an A. sexdens colony has moved up to 40 000 kg of soil. This has two important results: The soil becomes aerated with the excavation of tunnels and chambers, and enriched with nutrients as the ants bury their waste products. This represent a major way in which nutrients are recycled in their environment. For the heavy metal band see Soil (band) Soil is unconsolidated rock particle that lies on the surface of the earth, intermingled, perhaps, with organic matter from plant decay. ...
For the heavy metal band see Soil (band) Soil is unconsolidated rock particle that lies on the surface of the earth, intermingled, perhaps, with organic matter from plant decay. ...
Nutrients and the body A nutrient is any element or compound necessary for or contributing to an organisms metabolism, growth, or other functioning. ...
Subfamilies Dorylomorph subfamilies: Aenictinae Aenictogitoninae Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicomorph subfamilies: Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ...
Nutrients and the body A nutrient is any element or compound necessary for or contributing to an organisms metabolism, growth, or other functioning. ...
A. sexdens and other leafcutter ants are also important herbivores, consuming 12-17 % of the leaf mass produced in neotropical rainforests. One colony's consumption of plant material is comparable to that of a large mammalian herbivore, such as a cow. Genera Acromyrmex Atta Leafcutter ants are social insects found in warmer regions of Central and South America. ...
In zoology, an herbivore is an animal that is adapted to eat primarily plant matter (rather than meat). ...
Neotropical or Neotropic relates to a biogeographical region in the New World, bordered in the north by the dry areas in Mexico and the southern states of the USA. in the south by southern Patagonia. ...
Rainforest on Fatu-Hiva, Marquesas Islands A rainforest is a forested biome with high annual rainfall due to the Intertropical convergence zone. ...
Divisions Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Hepatophyta - liverworts Anthocerophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum (a fern...
Orders Subclass Monotremata Monotremata Subclass Marsupialia Didelphimorphia Paucituberculata Microbiotheria Dasyuromorphia Peramelemorphia Notoryctemorphia Diprotodontia Subclass Placentalia Xenarthra Dermoptera Desmostylia Scandentia Primates Rodentia Lagomorpha Insectivora Chiroptera Pholidota Carnivora Perissodactyla Artiodactyla Cetacea Afrosoricida Macroscelidea Tubulidentata Hyracoidea Proboscidea Sirenia The mammals are the class of vertebrate animals primarily characterized by the presence of mammary...
In zoology, an herbivore is an animal that is adapted to eat primarily plant matter (rather than meat). ...
Look up Cow in Wiktionary, the free dictionary Cow may refer to: Female cattle, other bovines, or other large mammals including elephants and whales. ...
Economic impact A. sexdens along with a related species, A. cephalotes are the principal insect pests where they are found, destroying billions of dollars worth of crops with their ability to quickly defoliate and strip crops of anything useful to the ants. In fact, Atta ants are considered the number one herbivorous pest in many areas where they are found. In biology, a species is, loosely speaking, a group of related organisms that share a more or less distinctive form and are capable of interbreeding. ...
Classes & Orders Subclass: Apterygota Orders Archaeognatha (Bristletails) Thysanura (Silverfish) Monura - extinct Subclass: Pterygota Orders Ephemeroptera (mayflies) Odonata (dragonflies and damselflies) Diaphanopteroidea - extinct Palaeodictyoptera - extinct Megasecoptera - extinct Archodonata - extinct Infraclass: Neoptera Orders Blattodea (cockroaches) Isoptera (termites) Mantodea (mantids) Dermaptera (earwigs) Plecoptera (stoneflies) Orthoptera (grasshoppers, etc) Phasmatodea (walking sticks) Embioptera (webspinners) Zoraptera...
Subfamilies Dorylomorph subfamilies: Aenictinae Aenictogitoninae Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicomorph subfamilies: Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ...
Species Many This article is about the genus of New World ants. ...
Subfamilies Dorylomorph subfamilies: Aenictinae Aenictogitoninae Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicomorph subfamilies: Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ...
It is speculated that if A. sexdens would spread into tropical Africa, results would be devastating. As the local plants have not developed defensive compounds against leafcutters and Africa does not have parasites evolved to infect them, the results for both the ecosystem and agriculture would be devastating. The tropics are the geographic region of the Earth centered on the equator and limited in latitude by the two tropics: the Tropic of Cancer in the north and the Tropic of Capricorn in the southern hemisphere. ...
Africa is the worlds second-largest continent and second most populous after Asia. ...
Divisions Land plants (embryophytes) Non-vascular plants (bryophytes) Hepatophyta - liverworts Anthocerophyta - hornworts Bryophyta - mosses Vascular plants (tracheophytes) Lycopodiophyta - clubmosses Equisetophyta - horsetails Pteridophyta - true ferns Psilotophyta - whisk ferns Ophioglossophyta - adderstongues Seed plants (spermatophytes) †Pteridospermatophyta - seed ferns Pinophyta - conifers Cycadophyta - cycads Ginkgophyta - ginkgo Gnetophyta - gnetae Magnoliophyta - flowering plants Adiantum pedatum (a fern...
Genera Acromyrmex Atta Leafcutter ants are social insects found in warmer regions of Central and South America. ...
Africa is the worlds second-largest continent and second most populous after Asia. ...
A parasite is an organism that lives in or on the living tissue of a host organism at the expense of that host. ...
In ecology, an ecosystem is a naturally occurring assemblage of organisms (plant, animal and other living organisms—also referred to as a biotic community or biocoenosis) living together with their environment (or biotope), functioning as a loose unit. ...
Human-Atta comparisons Due to the vast differences between humans and A. sexdens it is impossible to make accurate comparison between them. However, the following attempts to translate the achievements of these ants into human proportions give us some idea of the scale of A. sexdens endeavors. Binomial name Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Homo sapiens idaltu (extinct) Homo sapiens sapiens Human beings define themselves in biological, social, and spiritual terms. ...
Subfamilies Dorylomorph subfamilies: Aenictinae Aenictogitoninae Apomyrminae Cerapachyinae Dorylinae Ecitoninae Formicomorph subfamilies: Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ...
Binomial name Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Homo sapiens idaltu (extinct) Homo sapiens sapiens Human beings define themselves in biological, social, and spiritual terms. ...
- Length of the foraging trails is approximately 15 km in human terms.
- The foraging ants travel at 26 km per hour while carrying a 300 kg load.
- The colony is about one km deep.
KM, Km, or km may stand for: Khmer language (ISO 639 alpha-2, km) Kilometre Kinemantra Meditation Knowledge management KM programming language Comoros (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code) the Michaelis-Menten constant Km, see Michaelis-Menten kinetics Kamenz (district), Germany (license plate indication) Messenia, Greece (license plate indication...
Binomial name Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Homo sapiens idaltu (extinct) Homo sapiens sapiens Human beings define themselves in biological, social, and spiritual terms. ...
KM, Km, or km may stand for: Khmer language (ISO 639 alpha-2, km) Kilometre Kinemantra Meditation Knowledge management KM programming language Comoros (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code) the Michaelis-Menten constant Km, see Michaelis-Menten kinetics Kamenz (district), Germany (license plate indication) Messenia, Greece (license plate indication...
KG, Kg or kg may indicate: A Kampfgeschwader, a bomber squadron of the former German Luftwaffe Basketball Player Kevin Garnett An abbreviation for kilogram (always kg) Knight of the Garter, a British decoration Kommanditgesellschaft, German version of a limited partnership Kongo language (ISO 639 alpha-2) An abbreviation for konig...
KM, Km, or km may stand for: Khmer language (ISO 639 alpha-2, km) Kilometre Kinemantra Meditation Knowledge management KM programming language Comoros (ISO 3166-1 alpha-2 country code) the Michaelis-Menten constant Km, see Michaelis-Menten kinetics Kamenz (district), Germany (license plate indication) Messenia, Greece (license plate indication...
A superorganism is an organism consisting of organisms. ...
Neurons (also spelled neurones or called nerve cells) are the primary cells of the nervous system. ...
Neurons (also spelled neurones or called nerve cells) are the primary cells of the nervous system. ...
Binomial name Homo sapiens Linnaeus, 1758 Subspecies Homo sapiens idaltu (extinct) Homo sapiens sapiens Human beings define themselves in biological, social, and spiritual terms. ...
In the anatomy of animals, the brain, or encephalon, is the supervisory center of the nervous system. ...
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